Phony makeup seller gets 18 months in prison

NEW PORT RICHEY -- A judge sentenced a Pasco County woman to 18 months in federal prison and ordered nearly $1 million in restitution after she pleaded guilty to selling counterfeit makeup.

Tina Oleszczuk sold makeup through her company, Cozmetic Delights LLC, between March 2012 and March 2014, according to court documents. Among her products were allegedly knock-off versions of MAC, a popular line of products produced by Make-up Art Cosmetics Inc.

Oleszczuk allegedly purchased bulk quantities of the counterfeit product from China, and then sold them from her New Port Richey home as legitimate and at higher prices.

As part of her sentence, Oleszczuk will have to pay back a little less than $962,000. She pleaded guilty to the charges last September.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized more than 4,000 MAC items that had been mailed to Oleszczuk, according to court records. U.S. Homeland Security investigators then started making purchases from Oleszczuk as part of a sting.

She had faced up to 10 years in prison.